Why Teilur Talent hates 'outsourcing' and why recruiters should too

Published on
Aug 12, 2024
Written by
Juan David Rodríguez
EDITED by
Lisa Dahlgren
Read time
4 Minutes
Category
Talent Insights

Modern recruiting requires a more human approach

This should come as no surprise. Talent is spread all over the world, but opportunities are not. Latin American developers and professionals want to be part of a mission and exciting work initiatives that don’t require them to emigrate from their home countries; however, there are not enough employment opportunities that help them prove their value as a professional. One cause is that U.S. employers rarely look for world-class data and analytics talent outside major U.S. cities and universities.

U.S. companies have been employing tech professionals in tech hubs such as San Francisco and New York, thinking they have higher skill sets than workers in tech hubs in Latin American cities such as Bogota, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, and Buenos Aires. Companies that are not hiring outside the U.S. often pay four to five times more in salaries for candidates with the same proficiencies as professionals in Latin America.

remote work
Photo by Monica Silvestre

According to Springwise, “The global skills gap is emerging as a long-term economic problem. An in-depth report from Korn Ferry has predicted that more than 85 million jobs in the US could go unfilled by 2030 due to a lack of skilled workers.”

Over the past decade, countless millennials have moved to important tech hub cities searching for better job opportunities, and that’s why urban rents and incomes have risen as well.

Nevertheless, remote work completely changed that dynamic. For example, Twitter employees don't have to live in San Francisco and pay $3,000 monthly rent to do their jobs, which means that companies can hire more (and even better!) talent outside of tech hubs, where salaries are expected to be significantly lower. This is what most companies in the U.S. and Canada have failed to figure out when looking to recruit talent.

Tech companies need allies, not just workers

Teilur Talent’s approach is different when recruiting talent, because they do not focus on the technical aspect of an employee only. They argue that the human aspect is the most important.

work from home
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio

Teilur Talent also does not collaborate with clients that are looking for part-time employees, freelancers, or project contractors. This is because they aim to encourage startups to think a step further when hiring someone. Managers shouldn’t hire a candidate for the tasks they can complete. Instead, they should hire someone for the ownership they can take to ignite the growth of their business.

Let’s set a quick scenario. When you hire a part-time UI/UX designer to complete tasks, they will do exactly what you ask them to do. On the other hand, when you hire a full-time UI/UX designer, they will not only execute the roadmap of a product development plan, but they will own the process and pride themselves on their work.

This is the perfect outcome of what hiring managers want, not what they "think they want."

In a remote work future, Latin America offers major talent value

The reason why Teilur Talent is uniquely positioned is because of its focus on Latin America.

Unlike professionals in India, China, or Eastern Europe, Latin Americans work in western time zones. North American companies can integrate Latin American candidates into their day-to-day operations and enjoy the cost-effectiveness of remote talent without scheduling difficulties.

Even though Asian and Eastern Europe countries have capable talent, bilingual Latin American developers and professionals have the upper hand because of their time zone.

teamwork
Photo by fauxels

Hiring managers who are on the lookout for remote talent know how important it is to be able to get on a quick Zoom call or have someone reply on Slack quickly and not have to wait for the next day to resolve an urgent issue.

In essence, hiring a remote QA engineer on the West Coast or hiring someone with the same skills in Latin America makes no difference when it comes to talent or convenience - but it might make a difference in how much a company needs to pay for that talent.

Our thoughts on the pricing structure of Toptal 

While it's not possible for us to find details about how much of what a client pays ultimately goes to a candidate, we believe clients looking for transparent and straightforward pricing may want to look at other alternatives.

Our opinion is that if they are charging a client more than $12,000 monthly for a developer, they should at the very least be giving $9,600 to the candidate, but it's likely that it's even less than that.


What Hiring Managers Should Ask Before Choosing a Talent Partner

Before partnering with any talent provider — whether Toptal, Teilur, or others — hiring managers should consider asking the following key questions:

  • What percentage of the fee actually goes to the talent?

  • Are replacement or satisfaction guarantees included in the contract?

  • How are regional salary benchmarks determined?

  • Is there full transparency in how rates are broken down?

  • What is the long-term cost difference between hiring directly and through a platform?

These questions can help businesses make informed decisions and ensure that pricing aligns with both market realities and ethical compensation practices.

Toptal vs Teilur Talent Comparison
Concept Toptal Teilur Talent
Transparency Pricing details are not publicly disclosed. Clients see a blended hourly rate that includes both Toptal’s fee and the freelancer’s pay. Fully transparent rate breakdown. Clients see exactly how much goes to the talent and how much is retained by Teilur as a service fee.
Commission / Markup Estimated at up to ~50% based on third-party reports and client testimonials. The exact markup percentage is not officially stated. Capped at 20%, ensuring that at least 80% of the client’s payment goes directly to the developer.
Monthly Subscription Fee $79/month, non-optional, grants access to Toptal’s vetted talent network. (Source: Toptal website). No subscription fees. Clients only pay when hiring or engaging talent.
Initial Deposit $500 refundable deposit required to begin a talent search. No upfront deposit required to start the matching process.
Trial Policy Two-week no-risk trial. Clients are billed only if satisfied with the match. N/A (direct matching) – Teilur focuses on pre-vetted, long-term placements with transparent trial terms discussed case by case.
Pricing Range (Developers) $60–$200+ per hour depending on experience and project complexity (includes platform markup). $6,000–$7,000/month for senior LATAM developers, equivalent to ~$35–$45/hour — transparent, with no hidden markups.
Payment Structure Bi-monthly invoices; payment terms like Net 10. Includes blended rate. Monthly invoices with clear cost breakdown (talent pay + Teilur fee).
Toptal vs Teilur Talent Comparison
Concept Toptal Teilur Talent
Business Model Global freelance marketplace connecting clients with vetted professionals in software, design, and finance. LATAM-focused recruitment company connecting businesses with full-time remote developers and tech professionals.
Selectivity Claim Claims to accept less than 3% of applicants, based on its internal screening process. Works only with pre-vetted, bilingual professionals in LATAM, selected for technical and communication skills.
Recruitment Process Multi-stage: timed skills test → English interview → real-world project → live screen evaluation. Direct evaluation of experience, portfolio, and communication ability. Matches candidates by vertical (QA, Software, Cybersecurity, Data & BI) and company culture.
Trial or Test Period Offers a two-week trial, refundable if client isn’t satisfied. No fixed trial period — focuses on long-term retention and transparent onboarding.
Contract Type Typically weekly contracts (20 or 40 hours) with limited flexibility for short-term projects. Flexible monthly agreements, allowing scalability per project scope and company needs.
Transparency Pricing details not publicly disclosed. Clients see a blended hourly rate including Toptal’s markup. Fully transparent pricing model. Clients see how much goes to the developer and how much is Teilur’s service fee.
Commission / Markup Estimated around 40–50%, based on user reports and external reviews. Capped at 20%. At least 80% of client payment goes directly to the developer.
Initial Deposit Requires a $500 refundable deposit to start the search process. No upfront deposit required.
Client Support Account managers available during hiring and engagement. Support quality varies by project. Personalized support from start to finish, ensuring alignment for both client and talent.
Developer Pay Transparency Developers are contractually restricted from disclosing their actual pay rates. Developers know their full compensation and see transparent rate breakdowns.
Geographic Focus Global, with talent from Eastern Europe, Asia, and LATAM. Exclusive to Latin America, optimizing time-zone alignment and cultural fit.
Turnover Rate Not publicly disclosed. Reported below 15%, reflecting strong retention and satisfaction.
Best For Large enterprises or teams needing globally distributed freelance specialists. U.S. and international companies seeking transparent, long-term partnerships with vetted LATAM developers.

Need help with cost expectations?

Our hiring costs vary depending on the candidate's accepted offer. Use our calculator to estimate costs for different roles.

These are our recommended salaries, but clients are free to set their own rates.

Estimate cost
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Expected monthly cost

$

0

Candidate's salary
$

0

Teilur's fee
$

0

Total payment
$

0

Start hiring empezar aplicación
Median:
$
0
Min:
$
0
Max:
$
0

Client Reviews

Teilur Talent
Teilur Talent Reviews
Madhulika Sharma

Teilur Talent featured in...

"Argentina offers highly competitive labor costs compared to other nearshoring destinations. With a strong focus on software and IT services, Argentina's tech talent pool is growing, and the country is already a resource for tech giants like Google."

Teilur Talent featured in...

"Brazil offers an attractive combination of cost-effectiveness and high-quality talent. With reportedly more than 500,000 software developers and an impressive annual growth rate, Brazil boasts the largest tech talent pool in LATAM."

Teilur Talent featured in...

"Teilur Talent recognized as the top IT Recruiting & Staffing firm in Latin America, Teilur Talent has made valuable contributions towards making the IT workspace more efficient and streamlined."

Teilur Talent featured in...

"Teilur Talent is the world’s first talent development network connecting U.S. tech startups and remote developers from Latin America!"

At Teilur, Inc, we are committed to accuracy and fairness in all our content. Our discussions and comparisons, particularly those concerning other businesses in the recruitment industry, are grounded in the best interpretations made by our dedicated staff, based on publicly available information. We hold a deep respect for the unique qualities of each organization within our field and strive to offer valuable insights rooted in our core beliefs about the recruitment industry's workings. If you encounter any factual inaccuracies in our content, we encourage you to reach out to us at content-research@teilurtalent.com with the specific URL in question. Your feedback is invaluable, and we are committed to reviewing and addressing your concerns.

Got questions? We've got answers.

1

How is Teilur Talent different from other tech recruiting companies in LATAM?

At Teilur Talent, we take a mission-focused approach to recruiting, ensuring that our candidates are aligned with your company's vision and goals. Unlike other tech recruiting companies in LATAM, who may focus solely on technical skills, we prioritize the cultural fit and dedication of our team members to your company. For this reason, we do not support project contractor or freelancer roles. Instead, we focus on fully devoted team members who will help you achieve long-term success.

2

How does Teilur Talent attract and retain the best talent compared to other companies?

At Teilur Talent, we offer our candidates competitive salaries that are 2x to 3x higher than what tech companies would pay locally. This allows us to attract top talent and retain highly motivated and loyal team members. Additionally, we focus on finding candidates whose values align with the purpose, vision, and mission of our clients. This approach ensures that our engineers and tech talent are not just coding and completing task rather, they become part of a greater purpose, which gives them meaning and helps us attract and retain the best talent.

3

What are the typical tech roles that Teilur Talent recruits for?

At Teilur Talent, we specialize in recruiting for a wide range of tech roles that are typically in high demand. These include positions such as DevOps engineers, AI Developers, QA analysts and engineers, back-end and front-end developers, data scientists, product managers, business developers, and technical sales positions. Essentially, we recruit for most roles that are needed in B2B and B2C tech-focused businesses.

4

What are Teilur Talent's fees and pricing structure?

At Teilur Talent, we believe in transparency. We charge a flat rate fee of 20% of what the client pays. This way, our clients know exactly what they are paying for and how much the candidate gets. As an example: If a client hires a software engineer for $60,000 per year ($5,000 per month), Teilur's monthly fee would be $1,000 (20% of $5,000). We don't believe in hidden fees or unwanted surprises, so we disclose all costs upfront to both candidates hired and companies. When exploring other alternatives, make sure they are transparent about their pricing. We believe this is paramount for the benefit of all parties involved in this new era of remote work.

5

What is the candidate screening process at Teilur Talent, and how do you ensure a good fit for my company?

At Teilur Talent, we take candidate screening very seriously. We use a multi-layered approach to find the best candidates for our clients, starting with screening thousands of candidates from our internal and proprietary networks. We leverage AI technology to assess whether a candidate matches the technical skills required for a given job opening. We also perform additional personal evaluations to ensure that the candidate has the soft skills, culture fit, and English language skills required to excel in their new role. Our rigorous screening process ensures that only the best candidates make it through to our clients, saving them time and helping them find the best talent for their teams.